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PUBLICATIONS  OF  THE  MUSEUM 
TEXAS  TECH  UNIVERSITY 

Three  serials  of  The  Museum  of  Texas  Tech  University  are 
published  by  Texas  Tech  University  Press.  Short  research 
studies  are  published  as  Occasional  Papers,  whereas  longer 
contributions  appear  as  Special  Publications.  Papers  of 
practical  application  to  collection  management  and  museum 
operations  are  issued  in  the  Museology  series.  All  are 
numbered  separately  and  published  on  an  irregular  basis. 

The  preferred  abbreviation  for  citing  The  Museum’s 
Occasional  Papers  is  Occas.  Papers  Mus.,  Texas  Tech  Univ. 

Institutional  subscriptions  ($19/yr.,  typically  10  numbers 
issued  per  year)  are  available  through  Texas  Tech  University 
Press,  Sales  Office,  Texas  Tech  University,  Lubbock,  Texas 
79409.  Individuals  can  purchase  separate  numbers  of  the 
Occasional  Papers  for  $2.00  each  from  Texas  Tech  Univer¬ 
sity  Press.  Remittance  in  U.S.  currency  check,  money  order, 
or  bank  draft  must  be  enclosed  with  request  (add  $1.00  per 
title  or  200  pages  of  publications  requested  for  foreign 
postage;  residents  of  the  state  of  Texas  must  pay  sales  tax  on 
the  total  purchase  price).  Copies  of  the  “Revised  checklist  of 
North  American  mammals  north  of  Mexico,  1986’’  (Jones  et 
ai,  1986,  Occas.  Papers  Mus.,  Texas  Tech  Univ.,  107:1-22) 
are  available  at  $1.25  each  in  orders  of  10  or  more. 


ISSN  0149-175X 


Texas  Tech  University  Press 
Lubbock,  Texas  79409 


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OCCASIONAL  PAPERS 

SEP  ^  1  1987 

THE  MUSEUM 

HARVARD 

TEXAS  TECH  UN1VERSITY~‘^sity 


M'MBER  110 


16  SEPTEMBER  1987 


DISTRIBUTIONAL  NOTES  ON  SOME  MAMMALS 
FROM  THE  EDWARDS  PLATEAU  AND  ADJACENT  AREAS 
OF  SOUTH-CENTRAL  TEXAS 


Robert  R.  Hollander,  Clyde  Jones,  Richard  W.  Manning, 

AND  J.  Knox  Jones,  Jr. 


For  the  past  two  years,  we  have  collected  mammals  on  the 
Edwards  Plateau  and  in  adjacent  areas  of  south-central  Texas, 
principally  to  the  east  of  the  Pecos  River.  Among  the  specimens 
obtained  and  observations  recorded,  along  with  previously 
collected  material  in  The  Museum,  Texas  Tech  Plniversity,  are 
records  of  18  taxa  that  add  significantly  to  our  understanding  of 
their  distribution  in  this  interesting  ecological  area.  These  data 
are  recorded  here.  Information  on  bats  taken  during  our  field 
research  has  been  reported  elsewhere  (Manning  et  al.,  1987). 

Ihdess  otherwise  noted,  all  specimens  are  housed  in  the 
collection  of  Recent  mammals  at  The  Museum,  Texas  Tech 
Ihiiversity.  We  are  grateful  to  the  Graduate  School  of  that 
institution  for  providing  a  summer  research  assistantshij)  to 
Hollander  in  support  of  this  work,  and  to  the  office  of  the  Vice 
President  for  Academic  Affairs  and  Research  al  d'exas  'Tech,  the 
National  Institutes  of  Health,  and  the  d'heoclore  Roosevelt 
Memorial  P'uncl  of  the  American  Museum  of  Natural  History  for 
financial  support  for  field  exjiloration.  W'e  also  thank  D.  Burton, 
J.  Carter,  C.  Holder,  D.  Holder,  and  D.  McCullough  for 
assistance,  and  M.  R.  Lee  of  the  University  of  Illinois  for  the  loan 
of  material  in  his  care. 


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OCCASIONAL  PAPERS  MUSEUM  TEXAS  TECH  UNIVERSITY 


HOI.l.ANDF.R  F.r  Al..  — MAMMALS  FROM  FUF  FDWARDS  PLAFFAl'  .S 

Didelphis  virginiana  virginiana  Kerr,  1792. —  There  are  few 
records  of  tliis  opossum  from  southwestern  I'exas.  Tlierefore,  it  is 
noteworthy  that  we  examiiu'd  one  found  dead  on  a  street  in 
McCiamey,  Ciounty,  on  26  December  198().  Sclunidly 

(1977:25)  stated  that  D.  virginiana  was  known  from  the  Trans- 
Pecos  region  on  the  basis  of  a  single  s})ecimen  and  that  it 
probably  occurred  only  in  riparian  habitats  associated  with  the 
Rio  Grande.  McCamey,  just  west  of  the  Edwards  Plateau,  lies  in 
an  area  of  desert  scrub,  but  is  only  about  seven  miles  east  of  the 
Pecos  River. 

Ammospermophilus  interpres  (Merriam,  1890). — The  eastern 
limits  of  distribution  of  this  antelope  scjuirrel  are  not  well 
documented.  Creel  and  Thornton  (1970:481)  reported  A.  interpres 
(as  Citellus  leucurus)  from  Reagan  County,  a  record  overlooked 
by  Davis  (1974).  We  sighted  an  individual  1  mi.  S  Crane,  Crane 
County,  the  northernmost  recorded  occurrence  of  this  species  east 
of  the  Pecos  River,  (3n  24  July  1986. 

Thomomys  bottae  (Eydoux  and  Gervais,  1836). — The  distribu¬ 
tion  of  smooth-toothed  pocket  gophers  on  the  Edwards  Plateau 
has  not  been  well  documented.  Hall  (1981:475)  mapped  the  range 
of  Thomomys  in  west-central  Texas  as  occurring  in  the  southern 
part  of  the  plateau  as  far  east  as  Kimble  County,  following 
Dalc|uest  and  Kilpatrick  (1973).  Records  of  occurrence  of  T.  bottae 
from  several  northern  counties  on  the  plateau  that  were  published 
by  Berry  and  Baker  (1971)  and  Thornton  and  Creel  (1975)  were 
overlooked  by  Hall  (1981).  'These  locality  records  and  those  for 
additional  specimens  reported  here  are  mapped  in  F'ig.  1. 

Two  currently  recognized  races  of  T.  bottae  occur  on  the 
P'dwards  Plateau,  T.  h.  limitaris  Goldman  (1936:118)  in  the  west 
and  T.  b.  confinalis  Goldman  (1936:119)  in  the  east.  On  the 
average,  sj^ecimens  from  the  west  are  paler  in  pelage  color  than 


Fig.  I — Records  of  ocdirreiue  of  Thomomys  bottae  on  ilie  Fd\vai(l.s  Plateau  and 
in  adjacent  areas  east  of  the  Petos  River,  south-central  Texas.  Cirdes  represent 
specimens  examined:  triangles  re|)resent  records  from  the  literature  (Railey,  190.5; 
Dalquest  and  Kilpatrick,  1973;  Davis.  1971;  I  hornton  and  Creel.  1975).  Some 
specitnens  and  previous  records  are  tioi  plottc-cl  hc-causc-  undue  crowding  of 
symbols  would  have  rcsultc'd.  For  the  same  reason,  some  symbols  are  slightly 
offset.  We  did  not  plot  the  type-  loc  ality  (35  mi.  F  Roc  kspritigs)  of  T.  b.  confinalis 
because  of  its  uncertain  localioti  (North  Fork  Guadalupe-  River,  15  mi.  W 
Japonica,  Kerr  Coutity,  according  to  Miller  atid  Kellogg,  1955:306). 


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OCCASIONAL  PAPERS  MUSEUM  TEXAS  TECH  UNIVERSITY 


those  from  the  east  but  selected  individuals  from  either  region,  if 
placed  within  a  series  from  the  other,  are  difficult  to  distinguish. 
Variation  in  this  species  in  Texas  currently  is  under  study  and  we 
thus  have  not  attempted,  at  this  stage,  to  assign  trinomials  to  our 
material. 

Specimens  examined,  many  of  which  represent  newly  recorded 
localities,  are  as  follows. — Goncho  Co.;  6  mi.  S,  16  mi.  W  Eden, 
1.  Crane  Co.:  6  mi.  S  Crane,  2.  Crockett  Co.:  20  mi.  S  Big  Lake, 
1;  27  mi.  NW  Ozona,  1;  17  mi.  NW  Ozona,  3;  15  mi.  N,  11  mi.  W 
Ozona,  1;  14  mi.  N,  16  mi.  W  Ozona,  1;  14  mi.  N,  13  mi.  W 
Ozona,  2;  11  mi.  NW  Ozona,  1;  5  mi.  NW  Ozona,  1;  4  mi.  W 
Ozona,  1;  1  mi.  E  Ozona,  1;  7  mi.  E  Ozona,  1;  8  mi.  S  Ozona,  1. 
Edwards  Co.  (Univ.  Illinois):  Rocksprings  and  localities  within 
3.5  mi.  thereof,  11.  Irion  Co.:  4  mi.  N  Barnhart,  1;  4  mi.  W 
Barnhart,  1;  0.5  mi.  W  Barnhart,  I.  Kimble  Co.:  1.5-2  mi.  S 
London,  2;  2.5-4  mi.  SSW  London,  5;  6  mi.  SSW  London,  1. 
Menard  Co.:  9  mi.  N,  22  mi.  W  Menard,  1.  Reagan  Co.:  3-6  mi. 
SE  Stiles,  7;  7  mi.  N  Big  Lake,  1;  15  mi.  W  Big  Lake,  1;  12  mi.  W 
Big  Lake,  1;  3  mi.  W  Big  Lake,  5;  1  mi.  W  Best,  1;  1-2  mi.  S  Big 
Lake,  2;  4  mi.  S  Big  Lake,  1.  Sutton  Co.:  2  mi.  N,  9  mi.  W 
Sonora,  1;  Sonora  and  localities  within  7  mi.  thereof,  29;  20  mi. 
W  Sonora,  6;  13  mi.  W  Sonora,  1;  15.5  mi.  S  Sonora,  3;  0. 9-7.0 
mi.  W  jet.  US  277  and  EM  189,  6.  Upton  Co.:  12  mi.  N,  5  mi.  E 
McCamey,  3;  4  mi.  N,  4  mi.  E  McCamey,  1;  McCamey  and 
localities  within  3  mi.  thereof,  18. 

Geomys  hursarius  knoxjonesi  Baker  and  Genoways,  1975. — We 
obtained  four  pocket  gophers  of  this  subspecies  from  a  place  17 
mi.  N  and  19  mi.  W  Crane,  and  two  from  5  mi.  N  and  17  mi.  W 
Crane,  both  localities  in  Crane  County.  Along  with  specimens 
from  3.5  mi.  E  Monahans,  Ward  County,  reported  by  Baker  and 
Genoways  (1975:17),  these  constitute  the  southernmost  records  for 
this  genus  in  west-central  Texas.  The  area  occupied  by  G. 
bursarius  is  an  extension  of  the  Monahans  Sand  Hills  into  the 
northern  quarter  of  Crane  County,  which  is  one  of  only  three  or 
four  counties  in  Texas  in  which  all  three  genera  of  gophers 
(Cratogeomys,  Geomys,  Thomomys)  known  from  the  state  are 
present. 

Cratogeomys  castanops  (Baird,  1852). — The  yellow-faced 
pocket  gopher  is  distributed  throughout  much  of  the  western 
third  of  Texas  where  it  occurs  parapatrically  with  Geomys 


nOl  LANDFR  F  I  AL.  — MAMMALS  FROM  1  HF  FDWARDS  RLAFFAL 


hursanus  in  the  north  and  with  Tliornornys  hottae  in  the  south 
(also  with  iTeoruys  persofiatus  to  tlie  southeast  in  the  vicinity  ol 
the  Rio  (hande).  Both  Cratogeomys  and  Thoinornys  are  tound  in 
llie  western  part  ol  the  Kdw'ards  Plateau  and  adjacent  areas  where 
the  latter  usually  is  liiniied  to  shallow,  hard,  hecjuently  rocky 
soils.  Soil  type  alone,  however,  does  not  seem  to  be  a  limiting 
lactoi  in  the  distribution  ol  these  gophers  and  it  is  not  always 
possible  to  predict  which  genus  will  be  loimcl  at  a  given  locality. 

For  example,  Cratogeomys  occurs  along  the  Pecos  River  in 
Crane  and  Pecos  counties.  But  a  lew  miles  to  the  east,  in  much 
shallower  burrow  systems,  Thornomys  is  lound  in  eastern  Crane 
('a)unty,  in  the  immediate  vicinity  ol  McCamey,  Upton  County, 
and  eastward  Irom  McCamey  about  hall  way  toward  Rankin, 
only  15  miles  distant.  At  Rankin,  Cratogeomys  again  appears. 
Fhese  distributional  records  were  obtained  in  1985  and  1986. 
I'here  is  published  evidence  (Reichman  and  Baker,  1972; 
Will  iams  and  Baker,  1976)  that  Cratogeomys  has  displaced 
Thornomys  within  recent  years  Irom  several  places  in  Trans- 
Pecos,  Texas,  althcjugh  the  dynamics  ol  these  distributional  shilts 
over  time  are  not  well  understood.  See  also  Dalcpiest  and 
Kil[)atrick  (1973)  and  Thornton  and  Creel  (1975)  lor  additional 
inlormation  on  the  geographic  ranges  ol  pocket  gophers  on  the 
Edwards  Plateau. 

Geographic  variation  in  C.  castanops  in  Texas  is  deserving  ol 
serious,  in-depth  study.  Specimens  we  have  examined  Irom  the 
Edwards  Plateau  and  adjacent  areas,  which  are  only  tentatively 
assigned  to  subspecies  (see  Russell,  1968),  lollow.  Cratogeomys 
castanops  angusticeps  Nelson  and  Goldman,  1934. — Terrell  Co.: 
16  mi.  S  Shellield,  1;  16  mi.  S,  6  mi.  E  Shellield,  2;  24  mi.  S 
Shellield,  1.  Cratogeomys  castanops  pratensis  (Russell,  1968). — 
Crane  Co.:  7  mi.  SW  McCamey,  1.  Pecos  Co.:  2  mi.  N.  Girvin,  2. 
Upton  (k).:  4  mi.  N,  5  mi.  W  McCamey,  1.  Cratogeomys 
castanops  sirnulans  (Russell,  1968). — Glasscock  Co.:  19-20  mi.  S 
(by  road)  Stanton,  3;  1.4-2  mi.  N,  12.7-13.7  mi.  W  Chnden  City,  8; 
0.7-2. 4  mi.  S,  11.8-13  mi.  W  Chirden  City,  12.  Reagan  Co.:  3  mi. 
NE  Stiles,  1;  30  mi.  S  Chnclen  (iity,  1.  Sterling  (k).:  1  mi.  N,  4  mi. 
\V  Sterling  City,  1.  Upton  (io.:  Rankin,  2;  2  mi.  E  Rankin,  1;  8 
mi.  E  Rankin,  1. 

Chaetodipus  nelsoni  canescens  (Merriam,  1894). — An  adult 
female  trapped  on  1  December  1985  on  King  Mountain,  4  mi.  N 
and  5  mi.  E  McCamey,  Upton  County,  provides  the  northeastern- 


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OCCASIONAL  PAPERS  MUSEUM  TEXAS  TECH  UNIVERSITY 


most  record  of  this  pocket  mouse  from  Texas  and  the  second 
locality  of  record  from  east  of  the  Pecos  River  (the  other  being 
from  Comstock,  Val  Verde  County — Borell  and  Bryant,  1942:25). 
The  specimen  was  taken  on  a  rocky  slope  along  with  Peromyscus 
pectoralis. 

Dipodomys  ordii  medius  Setzer,  1949. — Although  mapped  as 
occurring  throughout  west-central  Texas  southward  to  the  Rio 
Grande  by  Hall  (1981:568),  the  southernmost  published  record  of 
D.  o.  medius  actually  is  Monahans,  Ward  County  (Setzer, 
1949:520).  We  trapped  14  individuals  at  a  place  5  mi.  N  and  17 
mi.  W  Crane,  and  16  at  a  place  17  mi.  N  and  19  mi.  W  Crane, 
both  localities  in  sandy  soil  in  Crane  County.  We  also  collected 
four  individuals  in  sandy  habitat  3.5  mi.  N  and  2.5  mi.  E  Crane, 
in  Upton  County.  Our  specimens  constitute  a  southern  extension 
of  the  documented  range  for  this  subspecies. 

Dipodomys  merriami  ambiguus  Merriam,  1890. — We  collected 
a  male  D.  merriami  5  mi.  N  and  4  mi.  W  Iraan,  in  Crockett 
County,  on  4  June  1986,  which  constitutes  the  first  report  of  the 
species  from  that  county.  Creel  and  Thornton  (1970:481)  and 
Ramsey  and  Carley  (1970:351)  both  reported  this  kangaroo  rat 
from  the  vicinity  of  Big  Lake,  Reagan  County,  localities 
overlooked  by  both  Davis  (1974)  and  Hall  (1981).  These  are  the 
only  known  records  of  this  species  from  east  of  the  Pecos  River 
on  the  Edwards  Plateau. 

Peromyscus  maniculatus  hlandus  Osgood,  1904. — Schmidly 
(1977:106)  mapped  P.  maniculatus  as  absent  from  the  eastern  part 
of  the  Trans-Pecos  region.  However,  we  collected  a  series  of  15 
specimens  of  P.  m.  blandus  at  Horsehead  Crossing  on  the  Pecos 
River,  4  mi.  S  and  14.5  mi.  E  Imperial,  Pecos  County.  We  also 
took  a  specimen  on  King  Mountain,  4  mi.  N  and  4  mi.  E 
McCamey,  EJpton  County. 

Hall  (1981:672)  assigned  to  blandus  specimens  originally 
reported  only  by  specific  name  from  Scurry  County  (Packard  and 
Garner,  1964:388)  and  Tom  Green  County  (Davis,  1966:186).  Hall 
gave  no  basis  for  his  decision,  but  it  almost  certainly  was  made 
solely  on  geographic  grounds.  In  any  event,  we  have  examined 
the  Scurry  County  specimen  and,  even  though  less  than  adult,  its 
pelage  is  considerably  darker  than  that  typical  of  blandus  and  we 
do  not  regard  it  as  representative  of  that  race.  We  also  doubt  that 


HOI.LANDF.R  K1  AL.  — MAMMALS  FROM  FHF  FDWARDS  PLAI  FAU 


7 


mice  trom  loin  Cireen  Clounty  are  assignable  lo  that  sul)spe(  ies. 
This  leaves  our  material  trom  Pecos  and  Upton  (ounties  as 
representing  the  easternmost  records  ot  P.  m.  blandus  in  Pexas. 

Perornyscus  maniculatus  pallescens  J.  A.  Allen,  1896.  —  We 
have  at  hand  a  male  trom  3  mi.  S  Fddorado,  Schleicher  County, 
that  is  assignable  to  this  subspecies.  I’his  sj^ecimen  is  similar  in 
size  and  color  to  individuals  of  P.  rn.  pallescens  from  central 
Texas  that  we  have  examined,  and  is  much  darker  and  smaller 
than  typical  specimens  of  P.  rn.  blandus.  Although  Davis 
(1974:201)  mapped  the  deer  mouse  as  occurring  over  the  entire 
western  two-thirds  of  the  state,  the  specimens  here  reported  (see 
also  account  of  P.  rn.  blandus)  constitute  the  only  known 
localities  of  record  for  this  species  on  the  Edwards  Plateau. 

Perornyscus  pectoralis  laceianus  Bailey,  1906. — The  white- 
ankled  mouse  is  known  in  Texas  from  much  of  the  Trans-Pecos 
region,  the  eastern  and  southern  parts  of  the  Edwards  Plateau, 
and  northward  through  the  central  part  of  the  state  into 
Oklahoma  (Schmidly,  1974).  We  have  obtained  these  mice  in 
rocky  habitats  at  the  following  localities:  1  mi.  S  Crane,  Crane 
County,  1;  4  mi.  S,  2  mi.  E  Crane,  Crane  County,  4;  4  mi.  N,  5 
mi.  E  McCamey,  llpton  Cc^unty,  10;  5  mi.  S,  5  mi.  E  McCamey, 
in  Crockett  County,  2;  and  4  mi.  E  Iraan,  in  Crockett  County,  2. 
Our  s{)ecimens  establish  the  northernmost  points  of  occurrence 
for  P.  pectoralis  in  the  west-central  part  of  Texas. 

Baiomys  taylori  taylori  (Thomas,  1887).  —  Northern  and  west¬ 
ern  expansions  of  the  range  of  this  species  have  been  well 
documented  in  recent  years  (see,  for  example,  Stangl  et  al.,  1983; 
Austin  and  Kiidiens,  1986;  Cleveland,  1986;  and  Hollander  et  al., 
1987).  On  17  March  1986,  we  trapf)ed  five  pygmy  mice  along  a 
grassy-weedy  fencerow  3  mi.  S  P’ldorado,  Schleicher  County. 
These  ref)reseni  a  westerly  extension  of  the  known  range  in 
central  Texas  of  approximately  85  miles  from  6  mi.  S  Mason, 
Mason  Ck)unty  (Packard  and  C»arner,  1964:388). 

Onychoinys  arenicola  arenicola  Mearns,  1896.  —  On  28 
November  1985,  we  obtained  a  female  ol  this  grasshoppei  mouse 
8.5  mi.  N  and  13.5  mi.  W  Kermit,  Winkler  (k)unty.  This 
constitutes  the  northeasternmosi  reca)rd  in  I'exas  for  this  species, 
w'hich  is  [)rimarily  associated  with  the  I'rans-Pecos  region.  It  is  of 


8 


OCCASIONAL  PAPERS  MUSEUM  TEXAS  TECH  UNIVERSITY 


note  that  a  northern  grasshopper  mouse,  O.  leucogaster  arcticeps, 
was  taken  at  this  same  locality. 

Neotoma  micropus  micropus  Baird,  1855. — Specimens  avail¬ 
able  to  us  from  Kimble  and  McCulloch  counties  help  to  fill  a 
large  distributional  gap  (Davis,  1974:219)  in  the  range  of  this 
woodrat  in  central  Texas.  We  have  examined  material  from  6.6 
mi.  N  Junction,  1,  6  mi.  NE  Junction,  3,  3  mi.  E  Junction,  1, 
and  Texas  Tech  University  Center  at  Junction,  1,  all  in  Kimble 
County,  and  14  mi.  N  Mason,  in  McCulloch  County,  2. 

Sigmodon  hispidus  berlandieri  Baird,  1855. — Although  wide¬ 
spread  and  common  throughout  most  of  the  state,  S.  hispidus 
appears  to  be  relatively  rare  on  the  Edwards  Plateau,  and  only  a 
few  records  document  its  occurrence  there  (Davis,  1974).  We 
trapped  a  female  on  top  of  King  Mountain,  4  mi.  N  and  4  mi.  E 
McCamey,  Upton  County.  This  constitutes  the  only  published 
record  for  this  species  from  the  western  part  of  the  Edwards 
Plateau  proper.  We  also  trapped  two  cotton  rats  17  mi.  N  and  19 
mi.  W  Crane,  Crane  County,  and  two  3.5  mi.  N  and  2.5  mi.  E 
Crane,  in  Upton  County,  localities  in  sandy  habitats  a  few  miles 
northwest  and  north,  respectively,  of  the  Edwards  Plateau 
escarpment. 

Vulpes  velox  velox  (Say,  1823). — Two  specimens  of  this  fox,  a 
male  and  female  from  9  mi.  SW  Menard,  Menard  County,  taken 
on  14  December  1968,  provide  the  southeasternmost  record  of 
occurrence  for  this  species  in  Texas.  This  locality,  in  fact,  is 
nearer  the  known  range  of  the  closely  related  V.  macrotis  than  to 
previously  reported  records  of  V.  velox,  but  our  specimens  clearly 
are  assignable  to  the  latter  on  the  basis  of  their  small  ears,  short, 
broad  rostra,  and  relatively  uninflated  auditory  bullae.  Some 
cranial  measurements  (mm)  of  the  pair  (male  first)  are: 
condylobasal  length,  106.4,  104.7;  zygomatic  breadth,  63.9,  60.5; 
least  interorbital  constriction,  22.9,  21.3;  breadth  of  braincase, 
44.6,  42.8;  length  of  maxillary  toothrow,  51.1,  49.3. 

Spilogale  gracilis  leucoparia  Merriam,  1890. — We  found  a  male 
S.  gracilis  dead  on  U.S.  Highway  87,  11  mi.  SE  Big  Spring, 
Howard  County,  on  21  September  1986.  This  constitutes  the 
northernmost  record  of  this  species  in  Texas  (Davis,  1974:108).  It 
also  shortens  the  gap  along  the  eastern  edge  of  the  Llano 


HOI  LANDFR  K  I  AI ..  —  MAMMALS  FROM  FHF  FDWARDS  PI.AI  FAL 


9 


Kstacado  belwoMi  ihe  recorded  distributions  of  .S.  gracilis  and  .S’. 
putorius  to  about  70  miles  trom  1  mi.  .S  Post,  (»ai/a  (iounty 
(Jones  et  ai,  1985:356). 

Tayassu  tajacu  angulatiis  (Ciope,  1889). — Although  once  dis¬ 
tributed  over  much  of  the  slate,  T.  tajacu  now  is  “restricted  to 
western  I'exas  and  the  Brush  Country  south  of  .San  Antonio’’ 
(Davis,  1974:296).  Schmidly  (1977:161)  mapped  the  range  in 
I  rans-Peeos,  Texas,  as  inc  luding  only  about  the  southern  half  of 
that  region.  On  27  December  1986,  one  of  us  (Hollander) 
observed  a  collared  peccary  along  ITS.  Highway  67,  1  mi.  K 
McCiamey,  llpton  County;  that  night  he  saw  two  mcjre  just  inside 
the  eastern  city  limits  of  McCamey.  These  observations  establish 
the  current  range  of  the  species  northward  at  least  to  the 
northwestern  edge  of  the  Edwards  Plateau. 


Literature  Cited 

.Austin,  T.  .A.,  and  J.  .A.  Kitchens.  1986.  Expansion  of  Baiornys  taylon  inio 
Hardeman  Lounty,  Texas.  .Sontliwesiern  Nat.,  31:547-.548. 

Bailey,  1905.  Biological  survey  of  Texas.  N.  Amer.  Fauna,  25:1-222. 

Baker,  R.  J.,  and  H.  IF  Genoways.  1975.  A  new  subspecies  of  Geomys 
bursarius  (Mammalia;  Geomyidae)  from  Texas  and  New  Mexico.  Occas. 
Papers  Mus. ,  Texas  Tech  LIniv.,  29:1-18. 

Berry,  D.  L.,  and  R.  J.  Baker.  1971.  Apparent  convergence  of  karyotypes  in 
two  species  of  pocket  gophers  of  the  genus  Thomornys  (Mammalia, 
Rodentia).  Cytogenetics,  10:1-9. 

Borei.l,  .a.  F..,  and  \F  D.  Bryant.  1942.  Mammals  of  the  Big  Bend  area  of 
Texas.  Univ.  California  Publ.  Zool,  48:1-61. 

Cleveland,  ,A.  C».  1986.  First  record  of  Baiornys  laylori  north  of  the  Red 

River.  .Southw'estern  Nat.,  31:547. 

CiREEL,  C».  (;. ,  AND  VV.  A.  TTiornton.  1970.  Extensions  of  the  known  ranges  of 
two  species  of  Texas  mammals.  Fexas  J.  .Sci.,  21:481. 

nALC^UE.sT,  VV.  VV. ,  AND  VV.  K I lpatric:k.  1973.  Dynamics  of  pocket  gopher 
distribution  on  the  Edwards  Plateau  of  Texas.  .Southwestern  Nat.,  18:1-9. 

Davis,  VV.  B.  1966.  Fhe  mammals  of  Texas.  Bull.  Texas  Parks  and  Wildlife 
Dept.,  41:1-267. 

- .  1974.  The  mammals  of  Fexas.  Bull.  Fexas  Parks  and  Wildlife  Dept., 

41:1-294. 

Goi.dman,  F.  .a.  1936.  New  pocket  goirhers  of  the  genus  Thomornys.  J. 

Washington  Acad.  .Sci.,  26:111-120. 

Hai.i.,  F.  R.  1981.  Fhe  mammals  of  North  America.  John  Wiley  ii:  Sons,  New 
York,  2nd  cxl.,  l:xv  +  1-600  +  90  and  2:vi  +  601-1181  +  W, 

Hoi.i.ander,  R.  R..  J.  K.  JcTNEs,  Jr.,  R.  VV.  MANNtNC,  AND  C.  Jones.  1987. 

Noteworthy  records  of  mammals  from  the  Fexas  Panhandle.  Texas  J. 
.ScL,  39:97-102. 


10 


OCCASIONAL  PAPERS  MUSEUM  TEXAS  TECH  UNIVERSITY 


Jones,  J.  K.,  Jr.,  R.  R.  Hollander,  and  D.  A.  McCullough.  1985.  Records  of 

the  spotted  skunk  and  long-tailed  weasel  from  the  Llano  Estacado  of 

Texas.  Texas  J.  Sci.,  37:355-358. 

Manning,  R.  W.,  J.  K.  Jones,  Jr.,  R.  R.  Hollander,  and  C.  Jones.  1987. 

Notes  on  distribution  and  natural  history  of  some  bats  on  the  Edwards 
Plateau  and  in  adjacent  areas  of  Texas.  Texas  J.  Sci.,  39:279-285. 

Miller,  C.  S.,  Jr.,  and  R.  Kellogg.  1955.  List  of  North  American  Recent 

mammals.  Bull.  U.S.  Nat.  Mus. ,  205:xii  +  1-954. 

Packard,  R.  L.,  and  H.  W.  Garner.  1964.  Records  of  some  mammals  from  the 
Texas  High  Plains.  Texas  J.  Sci.,  16:387-390. 

Ramsey,  P.  R.,  and  C.  J.  Carley.  1970.  Additions  to  the  known  range  and 
ecology  of  three  species  of  Dipodomys.  Southwestern  Nat.,  14:351-353. 

Reichman,  O.  ].,  AND  R.  J.  Baker.  1972.  Distribution  and  movement  of  two 
species  of  pocket  gophers  (Geomyidae)  in  an  area  of  sympatry  in  the 
Davis  Mountains,  Texas.  J.  Mamm.,  53:21-33. 

Russell,  R.  J.  1968.  Revision  of  pocket  gophers  of  the  genus  Pappo- 
geomys.  Ehiiv.  Kansas  Publ.,  Mus.  Nat.  Hist.,  16:581-776. 

ScHMiDLY,  D.  J.  1974.  Peromyscus  pectoralis.  Mamm.  Species,  49:1-3. 

- .  1977.  The  mammals  of  Trans-Pecos  Texas.  Texas  A&rM  Univ.  Press, 

College  Station,  xiii  -t-  225  pp. 

Setzer,  H.  W.  1949.  Subspeciation  in  the  kangaroo  rat,  Dipodomys  ordii. 
Univ.  Kansas  Publ.,  Mus.  Nat.  Hist.,  23:473-573. 

Stance,  F.  B.,  Jr.,  B.  F.  Koop,  and  C.  S.  Hood.  1983.  Occurrence  of  Baiomys 
taylori  (Rodentia:  Cricetidae)  on  the  Texas  High  Plains.  Occas.  Papers 
Mus.,  Texas  Tech  Univ.,  85:1-4. 

Thornton,  W.  A.,  and  G.  C.  Creel.  1975.  Distribution  of  gophers  (Geomyi¬ 
dae)  in  western  Texas.  Southwestern  Nat.,  20:272-275. 

Williams,  S.  L.,  and  R.  J.  Baker.  1976.  Vagility  and  local  movement  of  pocket 
gophers  (Geomyidae:  Rodentia).  Amer.  Midland  Nat.,  96:303-316. 

Address  of  authors:  The  Museum  and  Department  of  Biological  Sciences,  Texas 

Tech  University,  Lubbock,  Texas  79409.  Received  20  February  1987;  accepted  4 

April  1987. 


\ 


9 


< 


f* 


PUBLICATIONS  OF  THE  MUSEUM 
TEXAS  TECH  UNIVERSITY 


Three  serials  of  The  Museum  of  Texas  Tech  University  are 
published  by  Texas  Tech  University  Press.  Short  research 
studies  are  p:)ublished  as  Occasional  Papers,  whereas  longer 
contributions  appear  as  Special  Publications.  Papers  of 
practical  application  to  collection  management  and  museum 
operations  are  issued  in  the  Museology  series.  All  are 
numbered  separately  and  published  on  an  irregular  basis. 

7'he  preferred  abbreviation  for  citing  The  Museum’s 
Occasional  Papers  is  Occas.  Papers  Mus.,  Texas  Tech  Univ. 

Institutional  subscriptions  ($19/yr.,  typically  10  numbers 
issued  per  year)  are  available  through  Texas  Tech  University 
Press,  Sales  Office,  Texas  Tech  University,  Lubbock,  Texas 
79409.  Individuals  can  purchase  separate  numbers  of  the 
Occasional  Papers  for  $2.00  each  from  Texas  Tech  Univer¬ 
sity  Press.  Remittance  in  U.S.  currency  check,  money  order, 
or  bank  draft  must  be  enclosed  with  request  (add  $1.00  per 
title  or  200  pages  of  publications  requested  for  foreign 
postage;  residents  of  the  state  of  Texas  must  pay  sales  tax  on 
the  total  purchase  price).  Copies  of  the  “Revised  checklist  of 
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al.,  1986,  Occas.  Papers  Mus.,  Texas  Tech  Univ.,  107:1-22) 
are  available  at  $1.25  each  in  orders  of  10  or  more. 


ISSN  0149-175X 


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Lubbock,  Texas  79409-1037 


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liBc^ARY 


OCCASIONAL  PAPERS 

OCT  '  1987 

THE  MUSEUM 

harvard 

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ANNOTATED  CHECKLIST  OF  RECENT  MAMMALS 
OF  NORTHWESTERN  TEXAS 


J.  Knox  Jones,  Jr.,  Richard  W.  Manning, 
Robert  R.  Hollander,  and  Clyde  Jones 


As  defined  here,  northwestern  Texas  encompasses  all  the 
Panhandle  and  those  counties  south  thereof  that  lie  west  of  the 
100th  meridian,  south  to  and  including  (from  west  to  east) 
Andrews,  Martin,  Howard,  Mitchell,  and  Nolan  counties  (see 
Fig.  1).  This  region  has  received  less  attention  from  a  biological 
viewpoint  than  most  others  in  Texas.  This  annotated  checklist  is 
intended  as  a  summary  of  current  knowledge  of  the  distribution 
of  mammals  in  the  northwestern  part  of  the  state.  It  includes  75 
species  native  to  the  region,  at  least  one  {Sciurus  carolineiisis) 
introduced  from  elsewhere  in  North  America,  and  four  species 
introduced  from  the  Old  World.  Additionally,  a  list  of  19  species 
of  possible  present  or  past  occurrence  is  appended. 

As  a  departure  point,  we  used  the  compilations  of  Davis  (1974) 
and  Hall  (1981)— to  which  the  reader  is  referred  for  keys, 
descriptions,  and  range  maps— augmenting  distributional  data  in 
those  two  treatises  with  recently  published  information  (some  of 
which  is  cited  in  text)  and  also  specimens  housed  in  Phe 
Museum,  Texas  Tech  University.  Our  own  field  work  over  the 
past  several  years,  particularly  in  the  Panhandle,  has  added 
greatly  to  knowledge  of  the  geographic  and  ecological  distribu¬ 
tions  of  a  number  of  mammalian  species.  For  financial  support 
of  our  field  efforts,  we  thank  the  Graduate  School,  College  of 
Arts  and  Sciences,  and  Office  of  the  Vice  President  for  Academic 
Affairs  and  Research,  all  at  Texas  Tech  University,  and  the  IkS.